The Hong Kong Journalists Association has postponed its annual fundraising dinner after the Regal Hongkong Hotel axed its venue booking, citing “water leakage causing unstable power supply.”
The journalists’ group said in an email to event attendees on Friday afternoon that the booking was cancelled on Thursday, two days before the dinner.
“We offered some alternatives to the hotel, including a change of date, a change of venue within Regal, or a change of menu, all of which were rejected,” the email read. “We have demanded the hotel give us a full explanation.”
See also: Explainer: What is the HKJA and what does it actually do?
The HKJA said the hotel told them that there was a water leak, causing the power supply to cut out intermittently. However, when an HKFP reporter visited the venue on Friday night, a Valentine’s Day matchmaking event was taking place at the function room the HKJA had booked. Three staff members had no knowledge of a power failure.
When HKFP posed as a customer seeking to book a room for Saturday, a staffer who answered the phone said there was no power supply or water issue at the hotel.
The press group apologised to members for the inconvenience and added that the event would be held at another hotel venue on February 24.
HKJA suspects ‘harassment or pressure’
Speaking to reporters via Google Meet on Friday, Selina Cheng, the chairperson of the HKJA, said the group asked the hotel if they had faced pressure to cancel the booking, but they “insisted” that they had a “technical problem.”
“We understand that maybe the power supply is an excuse, maybe they faced some harassment or pressure,” Cheng said. “If that is the case, the hotel needs to tell us so that we can solve the situation together.”
She added that the HKJA had an ongoing police case related to harassment and threats it faced last year. “If [hotel] workers know of such a situation, they can tell me and the HKJA and we can add it to the police case,” she said.
“I understand that if they came under any pressure to cancel our booking, it would not constitute a legitimate reason to terminate the agreement and that could open them up to liability,” Cheng said, adding that the group had paid a deposit to secure the booking.
Cheng said the hotel had sent the group “a few pictures” of metal parts and cables showing the alleged damage to the power supply, but it was hard to make out from the images what the actual impact was. She said she did not believe the photos showed any ongoing water leakage.
In a January social media post, the HKJA said it would hold an auction during the dinner to raise funds for its operations.
“All proceeds from the sale of dinner tickets and auction items will contribute toward supporting the Association’s mission, with the objective of furthering the rights of journalists and safeguarding press freedom in Hong Kong,” the post read.
HKFP has reached out to the Regal Hongkong Hotel for comment.
The city’s largest press union, the HKJA has met with increasing pressure from authorities over recent years. During the protests and unrest in 2019, pro-Beijing voices accused the group of smearing the police force, allowing “fake journalists” to join, and protecting protesters.
Earlier this month, the group was forced to seek alternative plans for its annual football tournament after the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced a nearly two-month closure of a football pitch in Happy Valley where the matches were scheduled to take place.
Hong Kong has plummeted in international press freedom indices since the onset of the security law. Watchdogs cite the arrest of journalists, raids on newsrooms and the closure of around 10 media outlets including Apple Daily, Stand News and Citizen News. Over 1,000 journalists have lost their jobs, whilst many have emigrated. Meanwhile, the city’s government-funded broadcaster RTHK has adopted new editorial guidelines, purged its archives and axed news and satirical shows.
See also: Explainer: Hong Kong’s press freedom under the national security law
In 2022, Chief Executive John Lee said press freedom was “in the pocket” of Hongkongers but “nobody is above the law.” Although he has told the press to “tell a good Hong Kong story,” government departments have been reluctant to respond to story pitches.
